The US Department of Energy's program on the fundamental material science of internal interfaces

Abstract

As part of a broad program on fundamental material science, the Department of Energy (DoE)/Basic Energy Sciences (BES)/Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering supports theoretical and experimental research on the structure and properties of interfaces. Interfaces, whether solid/solid, solid/liquid or solid/vapor, play critical roles in the properties of many materials and influence many processes. Hence, fundamental research on interfaces is relevant to meeting the long-term energy needs of the United States. The Division supports research on interfaces through its research grants, research programs at the DoE national laboratories, and the operation of major national user facilities. In keeping with the focus of the 1999 Seville Interfaces Workshop on Ceramic and Bimaterial Interfaces, this paper focuses on that portion of the Division's program devoted to interfaces in ceramic/ceramic, ceramic/metal and metal/metal systems.